Yeenoghu has many names, and each one reflects another facet of his cruel and savage nature. Most know him as the Demon Prince of Gnolls, but among the gnolls, he is called the Destroyer, and in certain circles and writings, he has been called the Beast of Butchery and the ruler of ruin. Yeenoghu is the undisputed master of the gnolls, and through them, he works his evil in the natural world. Yeenoghu is supposedly the first of Alinthurs (god of chaos, destruction and carnage) creations.
As a demon lord, Yeenoghu is a vehicle of destruction. Like many demon lords, after being created by Alinthur, Yeenoghu was once a primordial, one of the non-ahnur shapers of creation, but was transformed and awakened by his mysterious Chained creator Alinthur. As with other demons, Yeenoghu hungers for carnage, but also craves power over his rivals and the gods themselves. To this end, he goads his mortal servants into performing appalling acts of evil in his name throughout the lands. He admonishes his servants to show no mercy in their perpetual war, and they must kill all creatures they encounter and take prisoners when the beings can serve as useful thralls.
The Demonomicon of Iggwilv is lost to the common mans knowledge, but somewhere the book is locked away safely from the outer world´s curiosity.The Demonomicon of IggwilvChapter VII: Yeenoghu, The Demon Prince of gnollsThe seat of Yeenoghu’s power is a nameless outworld deep in the void. Known as Yeenoghu’s realm, it is a wasteland. Much of the area is parched savanna covered in brittle brown grass punctuated by semimobile plants with poisonous barbs and choking tendrils. The skies are a sickening shade of green, and the sun is a bloody red wound spreading its crimson stain across the horizon. Bounding this perilous realm is a vast jungle of gnarled trees with jaundiced leaves and toxic fauna. To the north runs a barren range of brown mountains, which are pocked with mines where the Destroyer’s servants struggle to pull priceless ore from the monster-filled deeps. The mountains tumble into a vast sea clotted with flotillas and wreckage. Infested by ghouls, the sea also has cannibals and exiles, who have been driven mad by their isolation and by the horrors living in the murky water’s deeps. In all, Yeenoghu’s realm is a nightmare world of want and suffering, which makes it a place suited to its vile and bestial master.
Yeenoghu surveys his realm from atop his fortress city. Mounted on hundreds of stone wheels and pulled by an army of demons, the enormous citadel makes its circuit of this “other” world, running with streams of blood and filth, and leaving in its wakes the crushed carcasses that fell in its path.
Chapter VIII: Aspect of YeenoghuRather than stirring up trouble in tthe world of Middle-earth, Yeenoghu sends his aspect to deal with his mortal servants. The aspect, an avatar or a demigod, can appear at the Destroyer’s behest, serving as the demon prince’s herald or messenger. As well, a select few cultists possess a foul ritual to summon the aspect and bend it, for a time, to their will. Yeenoghu is loath to bestow this power onto mortals and entrusts it only to the most powerful and worthy of his servants.
Chapter IX: Appearance according to observational records and caricatureThe aspect of Yeenoghu is a 7-foot-tall demonic gnoll that wears rusted chainmail and wields a three-headed flail, similar to the Triple Flail of the demon prince’s true form. The aspect has the same glowing red eyes and patchy yellow fur, though where his flesh is exposed, he oozes a foul-smelling ochre slime.
The aspect is a sliver of Yeenoghu and possesses many of his personality and physical characteristics. It is, however, a separate entity and for as long as it exists, it can pursue its own agenda. Aspects are bound to serve the priests who summoned them and must abide by any commands given. An aspect can resist if the orders are in some way opposed to Yeenoghu’s nature, and when they do, the resulting violence is spectacular.
Chapter X: The cult of YeenoghuThe greatest concentration of Yeenoghu’s mortal servants comes from the gnoll tribes in the world. To them, Yeenoghu is their god and master. The Beast of Butchery was not always worshiped by the gnolls, for long ago these disparate tribes paid homage to a now almost forgotten god named Gorellik, their maker and the patron of hunting, beasts, and the wild. After murdering Gorellik during the ancient wars between the primordials and the gods, Yeenoghu absorbed the fallen lesser god’s essence and laid claim to his children, forever after staining the race with his own foul corruption.
Not all Yeenoghu’s worshipers are gnolls, however. Any creature capable of embracing the beast within and who exults in killing, butchery, and slaughter can find a common purpose with this terrifying patron. Most nongnoll servants operate alone, performing obscene rituals in the light of the moon and eating the flesh of their living victims raw. A group of likeminded lunatics might gather and establish a small cult, but they soon draw attention, since their violent crimes escalate when gathered in groups.
Yeenoghu is never selective about those he accepts into his cult and has, at best, a mild interest in his servants’ affairs. Indeed, many of his servants do not even realize whom they worship. The ceremonies are the same, involving the slow torture of their victims culminating in devouring their living flesh, regular blood sacrifices in moonlight, and an unflinching commitment to slaughtering one’s enemies. Among the gnoll tribes, worship follows certain customs and practices that vary from tribe to tribe. As with the solitary servants, the cultists scour the lands for fresh victims, dragging them back to hidden altars where they are strapped down and mutilated with sharp knives. The blood is collected and distributed among Yeenoghu’s high priests, which they then mix with hallucinogenic herbs and consume with relish.
Another common element is the refusal of cleanliness. Any follower of the demon prince must never bathe and must bask in his own odors, rubbing excrement, blood, and filth into his hide and vestments until he becomes a reeking heap crawling with maggots and disease. The more pungent the stench, the greater the cultist’s influence. Yeenoghu’s cults are a chaotic mess. At their cores are cabals of vicious, treacherous leaders who gain their positions by murdering their predecessors in spectacular and gruesome ways. These leaders must contend with rising stars within their own ranks, butchering those showing too much promise and ambition. Thus, the actual number of leaders is small, with the rest of the cultists rounded out by the tribe, who are warriors for the most part.
Yeenoghu has a presence in the world, but has few shrines and fewer temples. His “holy” sites are bloodstained rocks in dark corners of the wilderness. Some include a single, jagged chunk of rock thrusting from the ground and scrawled with crude paintings and blistering curses smeared in blood and feces.
When the cult performs a sacrifice, they hold the victim down on the altar while the leader carves off bits of flesh to give to the gathered host of warriors, which produces an incredible frenzy as the gnolls fight and claw to receive the sacrament of their master. The cultists save the viscera for last. Within these dripping organs, they believe they can see visions of the future and commandments from Yeenoghu, so they are careful to inspect each glistening chunk for the secrets they contain.
In Yeenoghu’s realm, the Beast of Butchery enjoys a more formalized following, and each group works in one of the three fortified cities marking the boundaries of his domain. These groups center their activities around grand temples of crimson stone—massive, six-tiered, five-sided ziggurats, darkened by the profusion of flies hovering above the sites. On each side, a broad staircase climbs to the zenith, while the tiers themselves hold gardens of screaming and weeping victims, each tortured and left to die slow deaths. The wreckage of all races can be found here, from orcs nailed to X-shaped frames, to halflings dangling from hooked chains, to wicked cages fitted with long barbs facing inward to penetrate the flesh of the dwarves, humans, and gnolls who occupy them.
Each day, sometime after dawn, Yeenoghu’s cultist leaders select a victim from those on display. They draw forth their prey from the contraptions, drag them up the stairs to the bloody altar at the top, and promptly butcher them, tossing the bits of meat to rain down on the victims waiting for their turn at the top.
Cultists of the ruler of ruin haven’t always been relegated to the fringes of civilization and the filthy reaches of Yeenoghu’s realm, and once, not long ago, they united long enough to mount a credible threat to the established nations in the world. During the height of the last human empire, Nerath, a mortal gnoll known as the White ruin came to power in his tribe after butchering the chieftain and all his sons in one horrific combat. With the warriors cowed, the gnoll champion swiftly turned to the other tribes stalking the forests and hills, seeking them out, one by one, to challenge their chieftains. Those who fought him died, and those who didn’t vowed their service, cementing their alliance with the blood of their firstborn sons. Not long after, the White ruin accumulated a horde of gnolls, hyenas, goblins, orcs, and dread demons summoned from the deeper void, and in the name of his wicked master, turned hungry eyes to the lands of humans.
Chapter XI: The demonic invasion of Middle-earth during the second ageAt this time, King Elidyr, a wise and just monarch, ruled the lands of Oriania. The Silver Cities. When word reached him of the approaching storm, he gathered his glittering knights and allies to meet the demonic host. His forces, although numerous, could not compare to the ravenous beasts under Yeenoghu’s banners. Elidyr struck and fell back a dozen times, each loss finding his diminishing army deeper in his own lands, and the gnolls scouring the earth of castle, town, and city. His numerous forays bled the host, racking up appalling numbers of dead, but nothing Elidyr did could halt the tide’s progress.
It wasn’t until the Battle of four Sons, when much of Oriania drowned in its own blood, that Elidyr finally triumphed over the invaders. He and his sons, each bold knights and great champions in their own right, formed a wedge and rode their magnificent charges through the unruly ranks, driving deep to reach its monstrous heart. As they rode, their armies hit the horde from both sides, sacrificing themselves for one final attempt to halt the enemy’s progress. Elidyr and his sons fought through the press, each taking grievous wounds and vanishing in the sea of blades, claws, and teeth, until only the king remained, dripping with the blood of his eldest and most beloved son. It was then that the White ruin sought out this courageous warrior and challenged him to single conflict.
For nine days and nights, while the armies fought around them, Elidyr and the White ruin fought, hacking and chopping at each other, neither willing to surrender. On and on they battled until the dawn of the tenth day, when the roiling dark clouds broke and the light of the gods shone down upon the embattled forces. The White ruin, unaccustomed to the wholesome power of the enraged gods, shielded his eyes, giving Elidyr the chance he needed to drive home his shining sword in the black heart of the terrible monster. Just as he struggled to withdraw the blade, the White ruin loosed a tremendous screech and was pulled, along with the noble king, into the deep void.
The victory won at the cost of a king and his sons proved bitter, for the destruction the kingdom suffered was too much and its people were too scattered to rebuild. In time, Oriania were rejuvenated by the druids that walked the lands. Grass and trees returned, and the lakes became pure once more. Some whisper, though, that Elidyr is not dead and lives on, fighting Yeenoghu in the void. They feel that one day he will defeat the Beast of Butchery and return to the mortal world, bringing with him a new age of justice and peace as he drives back the darkness overtaking the world.
Tor Mar 27, 2014 12:57 am